OpenSanctions API
OpenSanctions is an open, aggregated database of sanctions lists, PEPs, crime and corruption data pulled from official and public sources worldwide. An unofficial API lets you programmatically pull deduplicated entities (people and organizations), sanctions entries, PEP roles, aliases
What is OpenSanctions?
OpenSanctions aggregates and normalizes watchlist data from governments, international bodies, and reputable public sources. The platform harmonizes names, aliases, identifiers, and relationships using the FollowTheMoney-style schema so you can reason across sanctions programs and PEP datasets with consistent structures.
Core product areas include:
- Global Sanctions Aggregation (UN, OFAC, EU, UK, and national lists)
- Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), officeholders, and public officials
- Crime/Corruption and Law Enforcement Lists (wanted, debarments)
- Entities and Relationships (persons, organizations, officers, associates)
- Aliases, Identifiers, and Addresses (DOB, passports, registration numbers)
- Source/Dataset Metadata (authority, update cadence, provenance)
- Updates and Change Tracking (listings, removals, sanctions status changes)
Common data entities:
- Entities (Person, Organization)
- Sanction Entries (program, authority, status, listing/removal dates)
- PEP Roles/Positions (office, jurisdiction, start/end dates)
- Aliases (name variants, transliterations)
- Identifiers (passport, national ID, company numbers, tax IDs)
- Addresses (location, country, postal data)
- Datasets/Sources (issuer, category, update schedule)
- Relationships (director-of, associated-with, beneficial-owner)
The OpenSanctions Integration Challenge
AML/KYC teams depend on timely watchlist data, but turning web-centric exploration into API-driven automation is non-trivial:
- Name matching complexity: multiple scripts, transliterations, and alias variants
- Entity resolution: deduplication across overlapping sources and jurisdictions
- Update cadence: frequent changes to sanctions and PEP roles require reliable polling/monitoring
- Schema nuance: identifiers, relationships, and roles differ across authorities
- Filtering: per-jurisdiction datasets and program-specific scoping for compliance
- Authentication and licensing: handling keys, sessions, and data usage constraints for production automation
How Supergood Creates OpenSanctions APIs
Supergood reverse-engineers authenticated browser flows and network interactions to deliver a resilient API endpoint layer for OpenSanctions.
- Handles API keys or account credentials securely, including session continuity
- Maintains health checks and automated refresh with change detection for updates
- Normalizes responses so you can integrate once and rely on consistent objects (entities, sanctions, PEP roles, sources)
- Aligns with customer entitlements and licensing to ensure compliant access and usage
- Provides opinionated matching scores and reasons to streamline adjudication workflows
Getting Started
- Schedule Integration Assessment
Book a 30-minute session to confirm your datasets, licensing, and authentication model.
- Supergood Builds and Validates Your API
We deliver a hardened OpenSanctions adapter tailored to your workflows and entitlements.
- Deploy with Monitoring
Go live with continuous monitoring and automatic adjustments as OpenSanctions evolves.
API Endpoints
Authentication
/sessionsEstablish a session using an API key or credentials. Supergood manages session lifecycles and secure storage. Returns a short-lived auth token maintained by the platform.
Entities
/entitiesSearch and list entities (persons and organizations) with filters, match scoring, and dataset scoping.
Screenings
/screeningsCreate a screening job with candidate details, dataset scope, and matching parameters. Returns summary with hits and risk classification.
Watchlists
/watchlistsCreate or add entries to your internal watchlist for custom risk flags, with identifiers and source notes.
Datasets & Sources
/datasetsList available datasets and sources with update cadence and last refresh timestamps.
Use Cases
Onboarding Screening
- Screen new customers and counterparties at account opening - Normalize hits with aliases, identifiers, and jurisdictions - Log screening jobs with match scores and reasons for audit
Ongoing Monitoring
- Rescreen portfolios and trigger case updates when sanctions change - Subscribe to updates for specific datasets or jurisdictions - Drive SLA alerts for new listings, removals, and status changes
Case Management & Escalations
- Enrich investigations with source metadata and relationships - Attach evidence, internal watchlist entries, and analyst notes - Push adjudication outcomes back into downstream systems
Analytics & Compliance Reporting
- Build dashboards for exposure by jurisdiction, program, and dataset - Track throughput, hit rates, and resolution times across teams - Export normalized entities for model training and QA
Technical Specifications
Authentication
API key or username/password with optional MFA (TOTP); supports service accounts or customer-managed credentials
Response format
JSON with consistent schemas (entities, sanctions, PEP roles, datasets) and pagination across modules
Rate limits
Tuned for enterprise throughput while honoring licensing, entitlements, and usage controls
Session management
Automatic token refresh and session rotation with health checks
Data freshness
Near real-time retrieval of entities and frequent polling for dataset updates
Security
Encrypted transport, scoped tokens, and audit logging; respects licensing and access constraints
Webhooks
Optional asynchronous delivery for long-running workflows (e.g., monitoring hits, dataset refresh events)
Latency
Sub-second responses for list/detail queries under normal load
Throughput
Designed for high-volume batch screening and portfolio rescreening
Reliability
Retry logic, backoff, and idempotency keys minimize duplicate actions and transient errors
Adaptation
Continuous monitoring for UI/API changes with rapid adapter updates
Frequently asked questions
Supergood supports workflows across core areas such as Sanctions (UN, EU, OFAC, UK, national lists), PEPs/officeholders, identifiers/aliases, relationships, and dataset/source metadata—subject to your licensing and entitlements. We scope coverage during integration assessment.
We provide configurable matching thresholds, fuzzy matching, alias handling, and identifier cross-checks. Responses include match scores and reasons so analysts can adjudicate efficiently. We can incorporate your internal heuristics or blocklists.
Yes. We support monitoring flags on screenings and deliver updates via webhooks or polling when entities or datasets change (e.g., new listings, removals, status updates). Alert payloads include entity context and source metadata.
We operate within your licensed access and usage constraints, respect OpenSanctions data terms, and provide audit logs for screenings and updates. Coverage and throughput are tuned to your compliance requirements.